Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea is the brilliant sequel to Greenwild: The World Behind the Door!
We left Daisy Thistledown having solved the mystery of Craven, a Grim Reaper who chased her across Kew Gardens and through the strange door into Greenwild. Her mum is still missing and Daisy’s desperate to find her. She and her friends, the feisty “Five O’Clock Club” will do whatever it takes – even when the grown-ups say no. It looks like the hidden city of Iffenwild might have the answer. But how can they travel to this watery world in the heart of the Amazon?
The Greenwild series is full of strong, intelligent and adventurous female characters – encouraging readers to keep looking when there’s a problem to be solved. Celebration of the natural world through mind-blowing description, incredible world building and a beautiful full-colour map in the end pages transport readers right into the story. This is a book for adventurous readers. With a strong environmental message and celebration of the natural world, it will challenge children to think about the impact they have on their world and how they can work together to make it a better place.
Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea is a gorgeous hardcover book. The stunning blue and intriguing illustrations by the talented Elisa Paganelli make it feel really substantial and special. Even though it’s a big book, the chapters are short. Engaging characters and plenty of action keep the story moving. This would make a wonderful read aloud for Year 4+.
It’s such a pleasure to welcome Pari Thomson to Scope for Imagination with a guest post about her favourite books set on the sea.
My six favourite children’s classics which feature sailing and the sea
I have always loved stories about sailing: about boats and pirates and adventures on the high seas. There is something about the combination of fierce freedom and wild adventure – and danger – that makes sailing stories irresistible to me. This must be why ships and water magic play such a large part in my new Greenwild book, The City Beyond the Sea. Here are some of the sailing books I loved most when I was a child:
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome:
I fell headfirst into this classic story about the four Walker children as they set sail in their dinghy, the Swallow, for Wild Cat island – where they meet the Blackett sisters, fierce Amazon pirates. It’s a glorious summer book, full of rippling sails, sharp rivalry, unexpected friendship and the joy of camping under the stars.
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson:
When orphaned Maia is sent to live with her horrible cousins in the Amazon, she is pitched into an adventure that features a mysterious boy called Finn hiding in the rainforest. I have never forgotten the moment when Maia and Finn escape from the authorities on a boat called the Arabella and set sail through the emerald waterways of the Amazon.
Moominpappa at Sea by Tove Jansson:
I love all the Moomin stories, but this strange, wise, beautiful book is particularly illuminated by the magic of the sea. When the Moomin family set off for an island with a lighthouse, they quickly discover that Moominpappa isn’t a natural lighthouse-keeper – but that friendship and kindness and wit and empathy matter more than anything.
Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo:
When Michael is washed up on a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean, he thinks at first that he’s on his own. But there is someone else on the island – someone with their own story to tell. A wonderful book about losing and finding yourself again, set against the magical backdrop of the sea.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis:
The third book in the Chronicles of Narnia, and perhaps the greatest sailing story of all. It follows the youngest Pevensey children, Edmund and Lucy, along with their annoying cousin Eustace Scrubb, as they voyage with Prince Caspian across the Great Eastern Ocean to search for the seven lost Lords of Narnia. It features sea serpents, merpeople, and the mouse-warrior Reepicheep, the bravest mouse in literature.
La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman:
Set twelve years before the events of His Dark Materials, this is the story of Malcolm Polstead and his daemon Asta, as they find themselves sailing through a flood on their canoe, La Belle Sauvage, to rescue a baby called Lyra Belacqua.
Unlike the other books on this list, this one wasn’t published until I was grown up – but it took me straight back to my most joyful moments of childhood reading, as I set sail once again on a boat bound for adventure.
Don’t miss the rest of the stops on this great blog tour!
Books by Kate Heap (ad):
Order Fiction & Poetry and Non-fiction for Year Two on the links below:
Books for Years 3 -6:
Scope for Imagination 